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During this experience, we went to a traditional Japanese sweets shop, Matsukawaya. 　There, we learned about the origins of wagashi and the beginnings of the store in particular that we visited. We got a tour around the facility, including the front of house where the sweets are sold and the back of house where sweets are made and then packaged nicely in order to be bought as gifts for special occasions, such as graduations, celebrations of old age, and many more things.

Q.What did you lean?

During this experience, I learned a lot about the Japanese culture of eating traditional sweets particularly during tea ceremonies. By drinking hot tea while eating these sweets, it makes it easier to digest, which makes this a healthier alternative when compared to American sweets and the amount of sugar they have. I also learned that giving these traditional sweets to people as omiyage is a quite popular thing to do when people come back from visiting other cities. 　　　　　

In a business perspective, I also learned about how packaging and coloring/design affect the popularity of each sweet. Additionally, we also learned about the work schedule of the factory. The factory is open seven days a week, due to the fact that the handmade sweets must be consumed within the first or second day after being made. Most companies are off on Saturday and Sunday, but since this is prime shopping time for the wagashi shop, they must remain open all days of the week in order to bring their customer the freshest, most tasteful sweets possible.

Comments:

Overall, this was an amazingly enlightening experience that expanded my horizons on the topic of Japanese culture. Even though I wasn't very good at it, I still enjoyed being able to have firsthand experience of what it is like to make wagashi and the importance of the flavors and color of each sweet.